


Barely Even Friends (then somebody bends)

by unbuffhufflepuff



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Basically the sixth floor as theatre geeks, Fluff, Loosely based on High School Musical, M/M, coder boyfriends, secret softie!tobin, tobin speaks in vine references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23853037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbuffhufflepuff/pseuds/unbuffhufflepuff
Summary: Leif should be annoyed that the amateur new kid got the lead role in Beauty and the Beast over him. He absolutely should be.But somehow he's not.It probably has to do with his face.
Relationships: Tobin Batra/Leif Donnelly
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	Barely Even Friends (then somebody bends)

Leif has been the Theatre Kid™ since he was in middle school when he joined a local theatre group that put on plays and musicals every few months. Given there was a shortage of boys who were interested in theatre arts, Leif almost always got lead and supporting roles. He was Prince Eric in _The Little Mermaid_ , Emmett Richmond in _Legally Blonde_ , the Genie in _Aladdin_ , and the Baker in _Into the Woods_.

Leif was a _good_ actor. He had been practicing his skills for years and had been elected President of the Drama Club as a sophomore, which was why it was so surprising to find out he actually had competition for the lead role of The Beast in _Beauty and the Beast_ for the club’s fall musical.

It’s not like Leif expected to just be given the role. He still had to beat Max and Simon for it. But Simon was auditioning primarily for the role of Gaston, and Max was known for trying to play as many small characters as possible for comedic laughs and would be trying out for Cogsworth in addition to other supporting roles.

_Who wouldn’t find it funny that Sebastian the crab and Prince Eric’s dog, Max, were played by the same person?_

So it’s not like Leif had anyone actively competing for the same role as him.

Except that Max had overheard the new kid, Tobin, singing in the locker room showers after basketball practice and had convinced him to audition for the school play.

He was even late and missed part of the choreography they were learning for the dance portion of the audition, which annoyed Leif to no end. _If he couldn't show up on time for the audition, how could they expect him to show up on time for practices?_

Whatever excuse he had for his tardiness warranted a sympathetic look from Joan, the director and theatre teacher who refused to be addressed by anything other than her first name, claiming that titles made her feel old and diminished the "chill rapport" she had worked hard to build with her students.

He became more annoyed when Tobin picked up the missed choreography almost instantly, adding his own subtle flair to the moves.

“Dude,” Max said during a break, hitting Leif in the chest with the back of his hand, “What is up with you?”

Leif crossed his arms defensively and asked, “Where did this guy come from?”

Max followed his gaze to where Tobin was talking to Zoey, easily making her laugh. “Tobin? He transferred from that private school across town.”

Simon walked up and nodded his head in Tobin’s direction. “I heard he was kicked out for hacking into the computer system.”

Max looked like he was about to defend Tobin when Ava, the choreographer, called them back to their spots to continue with the audition.

Leif shook his head and took a deep breath to relax before continuing through the audition.

* * *

It’s a few days later during the callbacks that he starts to get worried. He finds the roles he’s being considered for and turns to Max with wide eyes. “Lefou? I’m being considered for _Lefou_?”

Max glances at the sheet of paper taped to the stage door in the fine arts hallway and pulls him away from it as Simon snickers. “And The Beast and Lumiere. You’re being considered for a lot of roles, Leif.”

Simon laughs harder as Zoey walks up and says, “Leif! If you’re cast as Lefou, I’m totally going to start calling you ‘Leif-ou’”.

Leif glares at her. “Your puns aren’t funny, Zoey.”

She raises her hands in the air as a sign of surrendering. “You’ll come around one day. Besides, I’d put money on Max getting that role.” She shrugs and sends him an encouraging smile before turning away to chat with Autumn, Jessica, and Mo.

Leif runs his hands through his hair, thinking about the possibility of Tobin getting the part over him, and mutters, “Who even is this guy?”

And because he can’t catch a break, Tobin chooses that moment to walk up and introduce himself. He nods at Max and gives a short wave to Leif and Simon before saying, “What up, I’m Tobin. I’m sixteen, and I never fucking learned how to read.”

Simon grins at the reference, but Leif doesn’t get it’s a joke at first.

Max realizes this and gives him a disappointed look while explaining, “It’s a Vine reference, dude.”

Simon slaps Leif on his shoulder, “What do you even do in your free time?”

He rolls his eyes in response, claiming, “Bold of you to assume I even have any free time.” Leif turns his attention back to Tobin. “I’m Leif. That’s Simon, and you already know Max.” He gives Tobin a slight nod and narrows his eyes. “What brings you to Sparks High?”

Tobin shifts uncomfortably. “My younger sister and I just wanted a change in scenery, so we transferred here.” He moves his weight from one foot to the other and shrugs. “I heard the drama department could use a few more guys, but from what I’ve seen, you three have the fort hunkered down with Max playing as many roles as possible, Simon killing dramatic roles, and you carrying the male leads.”

“Observant,” Leif says, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders.

Max elbows him. “Tobin’s a great singer. It’s going to be great having another alto to help balance out the ensemble.”

Tobin feels the need to defend himself so he continues, “I had to pick a few extracurriculars anyway. Might as well put my voice to use, right?”

Simon smiles and holds out his hand to shake Tobin’s. “Welcome to the Drama Club.”

* * *

Max was right. Tobin was a really good singer. And dancer. And actor–which is why Leif was only mildly annoyed that Tobin got the role of The Beast while Leif was Lumiere.

Tobin was _really_ good. He comes off a little cocky but is ultimately nice to everyone and always has a joke to make.

If anyone was going to be The Beast over him, he was glad it was an actor who would do the character justice, but he would never admit to that.

On the day of their first practice, Joan had them sitting in a circle on the stage doing table reads. Leif’s across from Tobin, which ends up being extremely distracting. The more he watches Tobin read through his lines, the more his heart rate speeds up. He’s expressive, especially given that this is only the first table read. Leif suspects it’ll only increase as the rehearsals go on as he’s given more suggestions and stage directions.

Leif looks down at his script, realizing he had lost his spot. He looks over at Max’s script to see where they were and he notices, shooting him a weird look.

He tries to follow along as much as he can, but he can’t stop watching Tobin’s face and hand movements.

It’s then that he realizes how attractive Tobin was. The realization is confusing for Leif. He originally felt threatened by another male joining the Drama Club, especially one he assumed didn’t have much experience with acting. Leif thought he would hate Tobin when he showed up to auditions late. As his attraction to Tobin becomes more clear, Leif mentally kicks himself for being such a scrutinizing jerk when he introduced himself.

He gets a chance to make up for it, though.

After practice Tobin walks up to him as he’s finishing a conversation with Simon about comparing answers to their chemistry homework. It catches Leif by surprise, which is probably why he lost any trace of the amount of chill he had left.

“Tobin? Hey,” he stammers, reaching out his arm to lean against the wall to look cooler, except he miscalculates how far away the wall is and ends up falling against it instead. He recovers by crossing one leg in front of the other and running his sweaty fingers through his hair. “You did really well during the table read.”

Leif tries not to read into how Tobin’s face perks up at his compliment. “Thanks! That means a lot coming from you.”

Leif’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. How could his compliment be meaningful if they had only spoken once and he was a complete ass about it?

Tobin must realize the weirdness of his comment because he quickly follows up with, “As president of the Drama Club, I mean. Zoey said you were hard to win over. I wasn’t expecting high praise, or any praise, from you.” Tobin continues on, barely taking breaths in between his sentences. “Which is why I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to run lines with me sometime and give me some pointers since you’ve been in a lot of productions and this is only my first and–”

Leif has to interrupt him. “This is your first production?”

Tobin looks taken aback. His eyebrows quickly furrow in confusion before returning to their normal spot. “Well, yeah. I mean unless you count meaningless school plays in elementary school that everyone was forced to be in.”

He wants to be frustrated and salty that a newcomer beat him out for the lead. But Tobin is a natural and Leif just can’t find it in him to be upset about it. It helps that he finds Tobin charming and very attractive.

Tobin continues, “So I was wondering if you could help me out sometime? Maybe at my place after school one day?”

Leif tries not to look too eager as he accepts the invitation.

* * *

It becomes a habit for them to run lines on Friday nights since Tobin has basketball practice on Monday and Wednesdays and the cast practices on Tuesday and Thursdays. Once the main cast picks up on this tradition, they decide to have weekly hangouts on the same night to review notes from Joan for each week and play games. Tobin and Leif still meet up earlier to practice by themselves though. Leif uses this time as a way to get to know Tobin and try to get all of the hopeless staring out of his system before his friends can pick on him about it later in the evening. To say Leif has enjoyed the time they’ve spent alone together would be an understatement. His growing crush is a strong indication of how much he’s enjoyed it.

It’s the third week of their private rehearsals when he starts to see a different side of Tobin. It starts when Tobin’s mom brings them Bagel Bites as a snack. Leif thanks her, and they use the distraction as an excuse to take a break from the scene Tobin’s been trying to memorize.

The two of them are sitting across from each other on the floor of his bedroom. Leif’s legs are sprawled out so his feet are next to Tobin’s thigh, and his arms are propping him up in a sitting position. Tobin’s position mirrors his own.

They talk about their shared classes and the tangent Joan went on when a freshman ensemble member accidentally knocked over a can of paint, leaving some of the black flooring backstage stained bright pink.

When the conversation starts to die down, he asks, “So what really brought you to Sparks High?” before he can convince himself it’s not an appropriate question.

Tobin flinches at the question. “It’s not a big deal, really.”

Leif nudges him with his foot. “I know I came off as an ass the first time I talked to you, but I promise I won’t judge.”

Tobin thinks for a few moments before launching into an explanation much different than what Leif was expecting. “There was this friend I had. Her mom was really sick and in the hospital, and the visiting hours were really limited on the floor she was on. So my friend never really got to see her mom since the visiting hours overlapped with the last two periods of school.

“The school had a really strict absence policy. For every three tardies or classes skipped, you were marked as absent for a whole day. And then once you were absent five times, you were considered truant and had to go to court and could be fined and penalized. Her family couldn’t afford it or even make it to court, so when she was caught skipping out on the last two classes of the day and was about to be marked as truant, I hacked into the school’s system and made all of her absences disappear.”

Tobin sighs and finishes with, “When they realized I had done it, I was expelled.”

Leif puts his hand on Tobin’s knee, causing him to look up and lock eyes with Leif. “Of all reasons to be kicked out of a school, yours definitely had the best intentions.

“Part of the reason I’m at Sparks High instead of a boarding school is because of an agreement I made with the principal about joining extracurricular activities and clubs that would have a ‘positive influence’ on me.”

Leif raises his eyebrows. “So you chose basketball and theatre?”

He shrugs. “I wanted to join the robotics club, but I figured it was too soon to get involved in technology at a new school.”

“Well when you’re ready to join it, I’ll join with you,” Leif tells him, knocking his foot against Tobin for a second time.

It’s Tobin’s turn to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “What interest do you have in robotics?”

Leif freezes, trying to think of an excuse other than “ _there’s this really cute guy who’s also joining_.” Instead, he shrugs and says, “I’ve always been interested in technology and coding and things like that.” It’s not a total lie, but technology isn’t that high on his list of interests. Before Tobin can ask anymore questions, Leif stands up and holds out a hand to lift Tobin to his feet too. “Come on, we need to work on singing from your diaphragm.”

It only takes a few minutes to realize that merely explaining how to sing correctly isn’t resonating with Tobin. Instead, Leif demonstrates the concept.

He stands against a free wall with his back and heels pressed against it. “If you stand up straight,” Leif explains, “then you gain more power and control.” He demonstrates by singing a few lines before swapping places with Tobin. “Your turn.”

Tobin stands where Leif just was, but he’s slouching. “Tobin, you gotta stand up straight, dude.” He adjusts himself, but he’s still not in the best position. Before Leif comprehends what he’s doing, he lightly pushes Tobin’s shoulders closer to the wall and does the same for his hips.

And then he realizes the position they’re in and he freezes. Leif has one hand on Tobin’s shoulder and the other on the opposite hip. His breath hitches in his throat and he tries to find something to say, but they’re so close to each other that all he can think about is how soft Tobin’s lips look.

“I, uh–” He starts to take a step back, but Tobin catches his arm and keeps him in place. Leif looks into his eyes, thinking about what it would be like to kiss him when there’s a soft pressure on his lips and– _oh_. Tobin is kissing _him_.

Tobin must sense his surprise because he starts to pull away, an apology forming on his lips, but before he can say anything, Leif uses the hand that was on his shoulder to pull him closer and thread his fingers through his dark brown hair, kissing him again.

When they pull away, Leif says, “Your singing technique could use some work but your kissing technique does not.”

Tobin laughs and grabs his hand. “I’m guessing me doing that was okay?”

He looks nervous, which is downright adorable, and Leif thinks he might combust if he doesn’t kiss him again soon. “That was more than okay.”

It’s hard to focus on teaching Tobin to sing properly and running lines after that, so they don’t; they take the time before they meet up with their friends to get to know each other more.

Over the next few months leading up to the opening night of Beauty and the Beast, Leif’s feelings grow stronger and stronger. Sometimes he thinks he couldn’t be more into Tobin, but then he’ll do something that makes him fall more in love.

It’s the looks they give each other when they’re laughing at something dumb their friends do, like Simon saying his name instead of Gaston’s in the song “Gaston.”

It’s the way Tobin checks in with his little sister after school each day and makes sure she has a ride home.

It’s the way Tobin forces him to watch Vine compilations and gets annoyed when Leif watches him instead.

It’s the way they steal kisses while running lines and hold hands in the popcorn bowl while watching Star Wars.

There’s not a single thing that Leif doesn’t adore about Tobin, and he tells him that seven minutes before the velvet curtain opens for their first performance.

The cast has already done their warm-ups and pre-show chant, so Leif pulls Tobin aside. “I just wanted to tell you that I was really annoyed when you first moved here and took the drama department by storm, but I am so glad you did. You’re an amazing actor and an even more amazing person and I love you and know you’re going to absolutely kill it tonight. You are so much more than I could have ever imagined.”

“You love me?” Tobin asks. He can’t see his face due to the giant Beast mask he has over his face, but Leif knows him well enough to hear the waiver in his voice and know his eyes are watering.

Leif nods. “I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> There may or may not be a second part in the works from Tobin's point of view. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


End file.
